Portraits of an Artist
Me and Kaminski: A Novel
by Daniel Kehlmann (translated from German by Carol Brown Janeway)
Pantheon Books, 208 pp., $21.95
What happens when a self-important, largely incompetent journalist working on a biography ineptly attempts to track down and interview his subject, a somewhat famous, eccentric painter now living in obscurity in a remote mountain village whose privacy is fiercely guarded by his protective daughter? That’s only the beginning of this sharp-witted, often hilarious comedy of manners from award-winning, Vienna-based author Daniel Kehlmann, whose 2006 novel, Measuring the World, was an international bestseller. When unpleasant biographer Sebastian Zollner finally connives his way into gaining some private time with the nearly blind artist Manuel Kaminski, what ensues is an impulsive road trip intended to revisit portions of the painter’s past personal life in the hopes of stoking a sensationalist angle for his book. The pair meets up with an untrustworthy hitchhiker; spends time in a sleazy hotel; crashes a stuffy art opening; retreats to the biographer’s apartment from which he has just been evicted by his former girlfriend; pays a visit to the artist’s long-ago, beloved paramour; and unexpectedly runs into Kaminski’s tenacious daughter. Along the way, both gentlemen are forced to re-evaluate their perceptions of the truth. The escapade ultimately leads them to unexpected psychologically personal destinations. One could easily see this tale being the basis for a big-screen screwball comedy with splendid character actors having a field day playing the principals. Skewering snobbish and pretentious denizens of the art world would be half the fun. But underneath the biting humor of this slim novel are some intriguing subtexts dealing with the nature of art and celebrity. How does Kaminski’s checkered career affect the attitudes of the art world toward the importance of his work? Will Zollner’s biography change the perceptions of the nonbelievers and make the artist’s work more appreciated and therefore more valuable? What constitutes a legitimate journalistic endeavor as opposed to a celebrity exposé? While these are some of the questions that come to mind, it is foremost Kehlmann’s ear for humor and crisp dialogue that makes this tale such a delightfully comic read.
Additional Reading: Chagall: A Biography by Jackie Wullschlager (Knopf, 608 pp., $40)
This article appears in December 12 • 2008.